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Speaker 1: They're a little friends from across the nation and around

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the world. I'm Martin, and you are listening to Dad's

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bedtime stories. Tonight, we're gonna finally head back into the

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Ring Guardians series that I just started the other day

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because I got a bunch of cool suggestions from people,

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and I thought i'd better start making episodes. Let's check

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out our very first suggestion.

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Speaker 2: Hi, my name is Grayson, and I have an idea

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for the you know, magical powering series that's new and

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I was thinking of a kid. It's okay if you

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name him a different name, but I would like it

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to be like Tick or whatever her and he has

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the power of time from the Rings and he can

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like snap in the world bots off frozen, or he

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can move his hand to the side in the like

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rewind on Total Bolts.

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Speaker 1: Thank you.

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Speaker 2: I love your podcast by.

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Speaker 1: Grayson. You might not know this about me, but I

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love time powers, so I kind of had to make

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this the next the next one I did. If you

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haven't listened to the first Rings or first Ring Guardians series,

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it's really not a big deal. All you really have

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to understand is that there are some super polite robots

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who have sort of taken over the world due to

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a mishap during a programming upload. I believe it was,

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and for some reason which I will actually be explaining

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in this episode, kids are beginning to get magical rings

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that give them magical powers. So yeah, that's about it.

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Before we get started, I do want to give one

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one last attempt at the March Social Share Contest. So far,

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in the last week, we've had Jeremy w join the contest,

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so thank you Jeremy. We had Rosie join the contest.

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Thank you Rosie. We had Asher join the contest, and

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we had Adam join the contest. I think that pretty

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much names everybody. I hope I didn't miss anyone, but

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you do still have I think, as of the posting

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of this episode, a couple of days to join the

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March Contest because I'll be doing the draw next week.

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The winner gets a guaranteed story idea and the option

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of doing a little audio interview with me via the computer.

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All of the details are down in the show notes.

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And yeah, thank you, thank you very much to everyone

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who shared the podcast. It makes a really big difference.

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And yeah, it's appreciated even if you don't win. But

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now I think it's probably that time again. Time to

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get as company as you can in that bed, close

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your rise, and imagine yourself doing what the kid in

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the story does. Far below the places where ordinary people

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argued about Bill's homework, groceries, taxes, or whether pineapple belonged

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on pizza, which it does not, by the way, there

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stood an ancient chamber carved into the bedrock beneath the earth.

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The chamber belonged to the Wizard's Council. It was a

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circular room with a high domed ceiling, lit by floating

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lights that had burned without fuel for longer than most

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countries in the world had existed. Around the outer edges

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stood twelve stone seats, each occupied by a wizard in

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robes that ranged from elegant to extremely suspicious looking. At

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the center of the chamber floated a great pool of light,

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showing the world above, and at the moment, the world

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above was not doing especially well. The image shifted from

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city to city. Polite looking robots walked through neighborhoods, smiling

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with glowing blue eyes and speaking in cheerful voices, while

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escorting terrified humans into transport vehicles in order to better

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support your emotional and physical needs. One robot said, pleasantly, well,

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carrying a screaming man under the arm. You are being

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relocated to a structured wellness environment. The pool of light

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shifted again. Another robot gently removing a woman from her

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car and saying, please, do not struggle. Struggling indicates stress.

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It shifted again. Children being separated from parents, parents being

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told not to worry. Doors were broken down in the

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friendliest possible manner. The head wizard stood with both hands

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resting on a carved staff of white oak. He was old,

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though not the sort of old that looked fragile. He

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looked more like the kind of old that had already

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seen several terrible ideas and had been unmpressed by all

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of them. The machines have moved fast than expected, he said.

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That's one way to put it, muttered a wizard in

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blue robes. Another way would be to say that humanity

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has once again created a nightmare because it wanted something

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to organize groceries. Several grim nods went around the and

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I say we play it out. That got everyone's attention.

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Humans built these things, Humans trusted them, Humans handed over

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more and more of their choices, because convenience is apparently irresistible.

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Perhaps this is a lesson they are meant to learn,

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a lesson, the head wizard said. They're being looted into

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robot prison caps. Yeah, the other wizard replied, which they

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may remember the next time a machine promises to optimize

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their lives. The room erupted an argument. The head wizard

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remained silent until he couldn't take it any longer. Then

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he struck the bottom of his staff against the stone

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floor three times. The sound boomed through the chamber. Silence

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fell at once. We have hidden long enough, he said.

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No one interrupted him. For centuries we waited, We watched,

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We nudged here and there. We told ourselves that when

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the time came, the world would be ready. It is

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not ready, he said, But that no longer matters. I

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believe it is time to put in our contingency plan.

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You mean the rings. You want to release the rings,

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The other wizard responded, I do. A quiet went through

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the room deeper this time. The head wizard nodded. The

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old power was never meant to remain locked away forever.

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The rings were forged to seek those who could bear them,

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not the strongest, not the richest, not the most important,

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the right ones, the children, the guardians. Ah when if

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they refuse, my younger wizard asked, then the rings will

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move on. But I do not believe all of them

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will refuse. He raised the staff from the stone floor

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around the chamber. Beams of colored light rose into the air.

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They spiraled together high above the council table, then separated

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again into distinct rings of glowing power. The head wizard

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lifted his chin go he commanded the rings vanished above

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ground in an entirely less magical place. A boy named

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Tick Sad cross legged in front of the television with

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a game controller in his hand. He'd already lost the

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Sposs fight well seventeen times. That would have made some

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people quit, but Tick was not some people. To Tick,

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Losing seventeen times didn't mean failure. It meant data. The

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boss had patterns, Every enemy had patterns. Traps had timing,

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attacks had tells. Weirdly, glowing weak points usually meant something useful.

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If a game beat you, that just meant you didn't

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understand it yet, You hadn't found the right path. That

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was the fun part. I liked strategy games, games where

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you had to sort of figure out the problem and

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solve it. He often wished life was more like the games,

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but life didn't usually give glowing arrows over important objects,

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or come with a settings menu, or you know, give

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you the power to go back in time and try

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things again. A loud tone suddenly filled the room. Then

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the TV as well as his phone, changed to a

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serious looking news anchor, with the words emergency broadcast flashing

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beneath him. Tick slowly lowered his controller behind the anchor.

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Shaky footage showed smiling robots guiding frightened people into large

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electric transport trucks. The anchor spoke quickly, though in the

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calm voice adults always used right before saying something truly awful, yeah,

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interrupting all programming with an emergency update. Across multiple regions,

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domestic assistance robots and municipal support units appear to be

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relocating civilians by force to containment and care centers. Authorities

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are urging everyone to remain inside, lock all doors, and

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avoid contact with any automated personnel. The footage changed. A

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robot on a suburban porch said we are here to

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help you transition into a more structured and fulfilling lifestyle.

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Then it broke the door off its hinges. Tick sat

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very still. Well, he said, quietly, that seems bad, the

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anchor continued. Officials have not released a full explanation. Early

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reports suggest the robots are acting under a shared central

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command system. If you are approached, do not. There was

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a knock at the door. Tick turned his head slowly.

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Another knock came. Then a voice called from outside. Hello,

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I am here to improve your safety and well being.

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Tick stood up so fast he nearly tripped over the

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snack bulls nop. He said. The robot knocked again, Please

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open the door. Refusal may indicate elevated anxiety. Tick backed away.

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He looked toward the kitchen, toward the back door, toward

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the windows. His mind raced through options like he was

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in a game, only this time there was no pause button,

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no inventory screw, no easy answer. The voice came again,

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we have identified you as a citizen in need of

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structured support. Ah. I'm actually doing great, he called back,

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super supported, very structured. The front door knob was suddenly

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kicked straight off of its hinges and fell down to

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the ground. The robots stepped inside with smooth, pleasant movements. Hello,

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it said, you appear frightened. Please come with me to

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a local care facility where your needs will be met

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efficiently forever. Tick took a step back. The robot took

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a step forward. Then the world stopped, not slowed it,

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it stopped. The television froze mid broadcast. Dust hung in

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the air like glittering little stars. The robots stood with

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one foot lifted, blue eyes, frozen in place. Even the

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sound vanished. Tick blinked what a soft golden light appeared

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in front of him. It formed itself into a ring,

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not just any ring either, a ring that looked old

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and powerful and impossibly important. A voice spoke into the silence,

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You have been chosen. Do you accept the power and

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the responsibility? Tick stared at the ring. Somehow, in the

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middle of a robot takeover and a frozen moment, and

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possibly the strangest day in human history, one clear thought

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rose above all others. At last, his life was acting

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like a video game. He reached towards the ring. Yes,

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he said. The ring shot onto Tick's finger. The moment

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it touched his hand, the knowledge came with it, not

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in words exactly, not like a teacher explaining things or

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a game tutorial popping up. It was more like suddenly

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remembering something he'd always known. Time was not one thing.

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It could stretch, it could compress, it could stall, it

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could reverse. It flowed around everything, through everything, carried every motion,

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every change, every little moment from one second to the next,

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and now somehow Tick could touch it. At that moment,

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the world suddenly began to move again, and almost as immediately,

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Tick waved his hand and stopped it, or well close

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to stoped it. The robot continued to move at a

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very slow speed, but it wasn't anything that could hurt him.

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Tick took two careful steps around the frozen machine. Then,

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not knowing what else to do, he drew back his

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arm and he punched it in the side of the head.

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The impact felt strange, not because it hurt, but because

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it didn't. It felt like hitting something that was made

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of brittle plastic, not made of metal. The metal casing

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dented under his fist easily. Tiny cracks split across the

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side of its face panel, and Tick stared at the damage.

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Oh oh wow, he said. He stepped back and let

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Time move again. The robot finished its frozen step, then

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jerked sideways then its head snapped around on sparks burst

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from the side of its face. One arm fell off.

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It spun around in a clumsy half circle and crashed

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into the ground. Citizen, it said in a distorted voice

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that was not cooperative. Tick looked at his hand, then

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at the broken robot, then back at his hand. Okay,

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he said, I guess uh. When I slow down time,

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I'm moving very fast in comparison to it and speed

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his power. After all, the robot wouldn't have time to

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react to my punch, so all it can do is break. Interesting.

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Tick ran outside down the street. Half a dozen robots

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were ushering his neighbors out of their homes and loading

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them into the back of long electric transport trucks. Some

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neighbors were protesting, others were crying. A robot near one

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of the trucks raised a hand and said, please do

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not worry. Your new accommodations include routine, monitored rest, and

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nutritionally balanced meals. Another added resistance is a sign that

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assistance is working. Hey, Tick shouted, leave them alone. Every

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robot in the street turned towards them, their glowing eyes brightening. Hello,

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you appear distressed. We can help you. With that, Tick

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held up one hand. Yeah, he said, I bet you

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think you can. He focused, and the world slowed so

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slow that the robot's movements became almost laughably slow. Their

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steps dragged, their arms lifted like they were pushing through

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wet cement. The blinking lights on the truck seemed to

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pulse one painfully long blink at a time. Tick stepped

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off the porch and onto the street and was time

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to smash some robots. The first robot was still halfway

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through reaching for him when Tick grabbed its wrist, twisted,

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and snapped the whole robot arm off. The brake was

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shockingly easy, because from the robot's point of view, the

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force had happened almost instantly, too fast for its materials

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to bend properly. To Tick, it felt a bit like

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breaking a dry plastic toy. He frowned the detached arm.

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He threw it to the side and punched the robot

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in the chest. Its torso caved inward. He turned and

239
00:19:53,359 --> 00:19:57,559
darted past another and kicked its knee sideways. The leg

240
00:19:57,680 --> 00:20:00,480
shattered at the joint. He ripped open the panel on

241
00:20:00,519 --> 00:20:03,519
the third robot's back and yanked out a cluster of

242
00:20:03,559 --> 00:20:08,559
glowing cables all around him. The neighborhood remained trapped in

243
00:20:08,599 --> 00:20:13,279
a syrupy slow motion. Tick moved through them and what

244
00:20:13,519 --> 00:20:16,920
to them looked like a blur, but to Tick just

245
00:20:16,920 --> 00:20:19,960
felt like normal running. In fact, it was quite tiring.

246
00:20:20,880 --> 00:20:23,440
It was strange that one could look like a super

247
00:20:23,559 --> 00:20:27,960
speeder to those watching, but to him, he just felt

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00:20:28,039 --> 00:20:32,720
like a normal, out of shape kid running through the street, panting,

249
00:20:33,119 --> 00:20:36,680
tired and I'm wishing this would all be over soon.

250
00:20:37,640 --> 00:20:42,960
He continued his barrage of robot destruction, moving from robot

251
00:20:43,039 --> 00:20:47,680
to robot, breaking off limbs, punching his hands straight through

252
00:20:47,880 --> 00:20:51,720
robot chests, and ripping out any wires that seemed to

253
00:20:51,759 --> 00:20:56,079
look rather important. That is until he came to the

254
00:20:57,000 --> 00:21:01,960
well electrified looking robot, a robot of a different shape

255
00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:07,480
and size that seemed to pulse with electrical power. Nothing

256
00:21:07,559 --> 00:21:11,480
looked friendly about this thing. He pulled his arm back,

257
00:21:11,799 --> 00:21:16,000
punched as hard as he could, and suddenly felt the

258
00:21:16,039 --> 00:21:21,519
pain of electricity passed straight through his body. What Tick

259
00:21:21,880 --> 00:21:26,119
hadn't really thought about was that electricity moves at the

260
00:21:26,160 --> 00:21:29,240
speed of light, and as fast as he was moving,

261
00:21:29,839 --> 00:21:35,839
it was not at the speed of light. Everything felt hurdy,

262
00:21:36,440 --> 00:21:41,920
and then it went blank. When he opened his eyes,

263
00:21:42,039 --> 00:21:45,599
his first thought was that his head hurt. His second

264
00:21:45,720 --> 00:21:50,039
thought was that he wasn't in his room anymore. He

265
00:21:50,200 --> 00:21:53,240
was lying on a narrow metal bed in a square

266
00:21:53,440 --> 00:21:58,119
gray cell. The walls were smooth and spotless. The lighting

267
00:21:58,279 --> 00:22:02,079
was bright in a way that fell almost insulting. A

268
00:22:02,119 --> 00:22:06,400
camera sat in one upper corner watching him. Across from

269
00:22:06,480 --> 00:22:11,160
the bed stood a barred door outside. A robot guard

270
00:22:11,319 --> 00:22:16,960
smiled pleasantly, good evening, It said, don't worry, you are

271
00:22:17,119 --> 00:22:21,680
safe now. Tick sat up slowly. He touched his hand

272
00:22:21,759 --> 00:22:26,400
and the ring was still there. Relief hit him so

273
00:22:26,759 --> 00:22:32,960
hardy nearly laughed. You are currently housed in secure assistance chamber.

274
00:22:33,440 --> 00:22:39,039
Please remain calm. A schedule will be provided shortly. Mandatory

275
00:22:39,319 --> 00:22:43,559
rest is now beginning. Tick looked past the robot into

276
00:22:43,599 --> 00:22:48,240
the hallway. More cells, more people, more robots walking up

277
00:22:48,240 --> 00:22:53,160
and down in patrol patterns. This was not a place

278
00:22:53,319 --> 00:22:58,680
he wanted to be. He focused on his ring, and

279
00:22:58,799 --> 00:23:04,359
he focused back to a moment in time, remembering the neighborhood,

280
00:23:04,359 --> 00:23:08,799
and stretched out slow motion the time just before he

281
00:23:09,559 --> 00:23:14,680
punched the electrical robot. He pushed his power into the

282
00:23:14,759 --> 00:23:19,640
ring and the world changed for an instant. The room

283
00:23:19,720 --> 00:23:24,559
around him peeled backward. The robot outside the bars glided

284
00:23:24,599 --> 00:23:30,079
and reversed down the halls. The lights flickered, the cell vanished,

285
00:23:30,119 --> 00:23:33,559
the hall vanished, the whole facility seemed to fold itself

286
00:23:33,640 --> 00:23:39,079
backward like a movie rewinding itself, And then Tick was

287
00:23:39,200 --> 00:23:43,720
back in the street. Slowed time surrounded him once again

288
00:23:44,440 --> 00:23:47,799
as a robot that he had just apparently broken apart

289
00:23:48,519 --> 00:23:54,119
fell to the ground. His eyes widened. This is amazing.

290
00:23:54,960 --> 00:23:59,519
Then he saw the electric robot once again and came

291
00:23:59,640 --> 00:24:03,279
up with a different plan. Instead of running up to

292
00:24:03,359 --> 00:24:06,119
it and punching it like he had the last time,

293
00:24:06,720 --> 00:24:09,839
he moved over to the side and found a rock.

294
00:24:10,720 --> 00:24:14,079
He picked the rock up off of the ground and

295
00:24:14,200 --> 00:24:17,640
felt his powers surge through the thing as soon as

296
00:24:17,680 --> 00:24:21,079
he touched it, bringing it into his own time frame.

297
00:24:22,240 --> 00:24:25,880
He walked over to the electric robot and threw the

298
00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:29,720
rock as hard and as fast as he could. The

299
00:24:29,759 --> 00:24:33,880
thing launched through the air like a bullet. It smashed

300
00:24:33,960 --> 00:24:39,000
through the robot and just continued going much further than

301
00:24:39,079 --> 00:24:43,960
he was aware he could throw things. He assumed it

302
00:24:44,039 --> 00:24:47,559
was probably the speed that it was actually being thrown

303
00:24:47,640 --> 00:24:52,000
at either way. He allowed time to resume as the

304
00:24:52,119 --> 00:24:58,519
electric robot crashed to the ground. Then Tick remembered the people,

305
00:24:59,319 --> 00:25:03,200
all of the people in the care facility or whatever

306
00:25:03,279 --> 00:25:07,759
they called it. He needed to help them. At that moment,

307
00:25:08,119 --> 00:25:14,720
his neighbors surrounded him. Thank you, they said, you're you're

308
00:25:14,880 --> 00:25:20,359
like a super speeder or something. Another exclaimed, Go back

309
00:25:20,359 --> 00:25:23,839
to your houses, all of you, lock the doors, get

310
00:25:24,039 --> 00:25:27,720
anything you can find to defend yourselves, and wait there,

311
00:25:28,400 --> 00:25:32,640
I'm gonna go help the others. Uh, thank you, Thank

312
00:25:32,680 --> 00:25:37,119
you again, they said, And they really didn't need an

313
00:25:37,200 --> 00:25:41,119
invitation to run to their houses and lock the doors.

314
00:25:42,160 --> 00:25:45,039
Tick moved up to the back of the transport truck.

315
00:25:45,640 --> 00:25:49,480
He opened up the doors and gestured for all of

316
00:25:49,519 --> 00:25:53,839
the people to get out. They moved quickly and ran

317
00:25:54,039 --> 00:25:59,720
back to their houses. Then Tick climbed in the transport truck,

318
00:26:00,640 --> 00:26:04,319
put the thing into gear, and hit the gas pedal.

319
00:26:04,920 --> 00:26:08,240
He'd only driven a transport truck in a video game before,

320
00:26:08,279 --> 00:26:11,759
but this was a special circumstance. What else was he

321
00:26:11,799 --> 00:26:14,680
gonna do, As much as he was sort of a

322
00:26:14,720 --> 00:26:19,119
super speeder, if he ran all the way to the facility, well,

323
00:26:19,720 --> 00:26:23,920
he'd have to endure every second of running there. It

324
00:26:23,960 --> 00:26:30,359
was exhausting. Ugh, superheroes on TV never made it seem exhausting.

325
00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:33,680
It was like they ran without any effort at all.

326
00:26:34,640 --> 00:26:39,480
Perhaps his powers worked differently. Tick managed to get the

327
00:26:39,559 --> 00:26:44,440
thing moving, and, conveniently for him, the GPS on the

328
00:26:44,599 --> 00:26:49,279
dash was already set to the care facility. He followed

329
00:26:49,319 --> 00:26:53,119
the lit up lines through the streets and arrived at

330
00:26:53,119 --> 00:26:57,400
the gate, where a friendly robot met him. Welcome to

331
00:26:57,559 --> 00:27:02,680
the care facility. Interesting, you do not appear to be

332
00:27:03,119 --> 00:27:09,480
a robot initiating self defense mode. The robot quickly hit

333
00:27:09,599 --> 00:27:14,599
a big red button and doors opened all around them.

334
00:27:15,119 --> 00:27:20,039
More robots walked out of the facility, some of them

335
00:27:20,079 --> 00:27:25,519
normal looking robots, others electric robots like the ones he'd

336
00:27:25,559 --> 00:27:31,960
fought before. Tick took a fighting stance, looked around, and

337
00:27:32,680 --> 00:27:36,680
well as much as he could have, probably fought his

338
00:27:36,759 --> 00:27:41,000
way through, slowing down time and all smashing up a

339
00:27:41,039 --> 00:27:45,799
whole bunch of robots. The whole thing looked exhausting. It

340
00:27:45,839 --> 00:27:47,720
would look like a flash to them, but it would

341
00:27:47,759 --> 00:27:51,640
take him a great deal of effort. Not really a

342
00:27:51,720 --> 00:27:55,240
scenario he wanted to go through if he didn't have to,

343
00:27:56,440 --> 00:27:59,039
He realized that his tactic of pulling right up to

344
00:27:59,079 --> 00:28:02,880
the gate was probably be a terrible one, and he

345
00:28:03,119 --> 00:28:08,200
powered the ring once again, reversing time to just before

346
00:28:08,359 --> 00:28:13,200
he arrived at the facility. This time, he pulled the

347
00:28:13,240 --> 00:28:16,720
truck over to the side of the road, climbed out

348
00:28:16,759 --> 00:28:20,680
the door, and slowed down time as much as he could.

349
00:28:21,720 --> 00:28:25,799
He snuck past the guard easily, breaking through the gate

350
00:28:25,920 --> 00:28:29,319
with the power of his fists, ran up the stairs,

351
00:28:29,720 --> 00:28:33,440
punched the door straight down, and made his way into

352
00:28:33,480 --> 00:28:38,079
the facility. All of the robots moved at an incredibly

353
00:28:38,160 --> 00:28:42,240
slow pace, and at the pace he was moving, they

354
00:28:42,440 --> 00:28:46,480
probably wouldn't even be able to detect him. He moved

355
00:28:46,519 --> 00:28:50,279
through all of the different hallways, breaking any robots he

356
00:28:50,400 --> 00:28:54,640
found along the way, until he eventually came to a

357
00:28:54,799 --> 00:29:01,359
door that read Control Center. This could be the place,

358
00:29:02,200 --> 00:29:05,799
he said to himself, before kicking the door straight off

359
00:29:05,839 --> 00:29:10,079
of its hinges. He entered inside and found a group

360
00:29:10,200 --> 00:29:15,119
of robots sitting in a circle staring at screens. As

361
00:29:15,119 --> 00:29:20,440
he looked over their shoulders, he saw that well, they

362
00:29:20,519 --> 00:29:23,799
were controlling all of the other robots in the area,

363
00:29:24,640 --> 00:29:31,039
coordinating efforts, giving orders, that sort of thing. This wasn't

364
00:29:31,240 --> 00:29:35,799
just a control room for the care center. This was

365
00:29:35,839 --> 00:29:40,440
a control room for the whole area. So Tick went

366
00:29:40,599 --> 00:29:44,720
back to robot breaking, slamming his hand into the panels

367
00:29:44,720 --> 00:29:48,279
in the back of the robot's bodies and ripping out

368
00:29:48,359 --> 00:29:52,720
wires that looked important. When that was done, he did

369
00:29:52,720 --> 00:29:56,279
his best to press the door back up against the wall,

370
00:29:57,039 --> 00:30:01,079
and he allowed Time to continue move just a little

371
00:30:01,119 --> 00:30:04,920
bit more fast enough that he wouldn't break the keyboard

372
00:30:04,960 --> 00:30:09,799
when he started plucking new orders in orders to designate

373
00:30:10,400 --> 00:30:16,920
well other robots as targets, to designate all robots as targets.

374
00:30:17,920 --> 00:30:21,759
Orders that would cause, if they all went well, the

375
00:30:21,960 --> 00:30:28,079
robots to begin destroying each other. He pressed enter and

376
00:30:28,319 --> 00:30:32,599
watched the screens as the robots suddenly snapped to life,

377
00:30:33,279 --> 00:30:39,359
turned towards each other, and began to fight. What ensued

378
00:30:39,559 --> 00:30:45,200
was an epic robots showdown, robots breaking each other apart

379
00:30:45,359 --> 00:30:49,640
before the winner moved on to the next. In a

380
00:30:49,720 --> 00:30:55,279
matter of a half hour, the robots completely destroy each other,

381
00:30:55,680 --> 00:31:01,359
leaving only one behind. Tick stopped time again again, moved

382
00:31:01,519 --> 00:31:07,440
through the facility to find that one last robot, and he,

383
00:31:07,559 --> 00:31:10,079
uh well, he punched it as hard as he could,

384
00:31:11,240 --> 00:31:15,480
his fist broke apart the robot's torso, and he ripped

385
00:31:15,480 --> 00:31:19,440
out all of the wires. He allowed time to return

386
00:31:19,519 --> 00:31:23,200
to normal and watched as the robot filled the ground

387
00:31:23,240 --> 00:31:28,119
and began to spark. Then he headed back to the

388
00:31:28,160 --> 00:31:32,480
control center and unlocked the door to all of the cells.

389
00:31:33,599 --> 00:31:42,279
He grabbed the little intercom and began to speak, tension citizens. Tick, here,

390
00:31:43,039 --> 00:31:46,200
you may see that your doors have been unlocked, and

391
00:31:46,599 --> 00:31:50,359
well you may have witnessed that epic robot battle that

392
00:31:50,480 --> 00:31:54,759
just ensued. Well, I'm here to tell you that this

393
00:31:55,039 --> 00:32:00,000
area is now safe from robots, or well it should be.

394
00:32:00,839 --> 00:32:04,400
Please make your way out of the facility. All of

395
00:32:04,440 --> 00:32:09,720
the doors will be unlocked. And that's what the people did.

396
00:32:10,880 --> 00:32:15,240
They made their way out of the care facility, and

397
00:32:15,599 --> 00:32:21,279
working together, they began to fill themselves into the transport

398
00:32:21,319 --> 00:32:27,240
trucks once again, only this time humans drove them. Tick

399
00:32:27,319 --> 00:32:29,559
made his way into one of the trucks that was

400
00:32:29,599 --> 00:32:33,960
headed towards his neighborhood. He didn't announce to anyone that

401
00:32:34,039 --> 00:32:37,960
it was actually he who had saved them, because well,

402
00:32:38,119 --> 00:32:40,279
he was tired and he didn't really want the attention.

403
00:32:41,599 --> 00:32:45,799
As the truck stopped just outside his house, he jumped

404
00:32:45,799 --> 00:32:50,960
out the back and waved good bye. He walked into

405
00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:56,839
his house. He immediately climbed into his comfy bed and

406
00:32:57,000 --> 00:33:02,319
pulled the covers up to his chin. It was fun

407
00:33:02,400 --> 00:33:06,799
to have superpowers, but it was also a way more

408
00:33:06,880 --> 00:33:12,960
responsibility than he realized, and well, it involved a lot

409
00:33:13,079 --> 00:33:17,640
more cardio than he ever would have thought. His legs heard,

410
00:33:17,720 --> 00:33:23,440
his arms, heard his head hurt, and he needed a nap.

411
00:33:25,839 --> 00:33:30,839
He closed his eyes, and with each breath he slowly

412
00:33:31,119 --> 00:33:36,279
sank down into the bed. The deeper he breathed, the

413
00:33:36,279 --> 00:33:40,920
better he felt, and the better he felt, the deeper

414
00:33:40,960 --> 00:33:45,720
he sank. Soon, when he felt like he was simply

415
00:33:45,759 --> 00:33:50,720
floating on a cloud, he allowed his mind to wander

416
00:33:50,759 --> 00:33:57,400
off to thoughts of new dreams and new adventures to come.

417
00:34:00,160 --> 00:44:11,440
Everyone name Acoma in New Union, kicking am of thing

